Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded during a static fire test at Cape Canaveral, Florida, reported live by NASASpaceFlight.com and SpaceFlight Now, later confirmed by the company.
Setback for Planned Launches
The rocket was being prepared for its fourth launch, intended to carry Amazon Leo internet satellites. Blue Origin stated in an X post on Thursday evening that "[a]ll personnel have been accounted for," while noting an "anomaly" occurred without detailing the cause. Inquiries to NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Space Force remain unanswered.
This incident may lead to a significant pause in the New Glenn program, hindering Blue Origin's goal of up to 12 launches this year. The company has been developing New Glenn for over a decade to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and it plays a role in NASA’s Artemis moon missions.
Reactions and Challenges
Elon Musk commented on X, "Most unfortunate. Rockets are hard," following the explosion. This failure comes weeks after a third New Glenn mission where the upper stage failed to orbit an AST SpaceMobile satellite, resulting in mission loss. The FAA had just cleared New Glenn for flight after Blue Origin's investigation into that failure.
Development of New Glenn
Blue Origin has been developing New Glenn alongside its New Shepard program, aimed at launching commercial payloads such as large satellites into orbit. The rocket first flew in January 2025, reaching orbit but losing the booster stage before landing. Success followed with the second flight in November 2025, launching twin spacecraft to Mars for NASA and successfully landing a booster stage.
The third mission in April 2026 reused the booster, reaffirming Blue Origin’s capability to recover and refurbish stages, a crucial factor in reducing launch costs. However, a cryogenic failure in the upper stage caused the mission's satellite loss.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/28/blue-origins-new-glenn-rocket-explodes-during-testing-in-florida/
